Question 14·Medium·Inferences
After the city installed several new bike-share stations adjacent to major bus and train stops, program data showed that the average trip distance decreased, while the total number of trips per day rose sharply. Customer surveys that month reported no significant change in the number of active members.
Based on this information, which inference is most supported?
For SAT inference questions, first restate the key facts in your own words, especially any changes (increase/decrease/no change). Then, eliminate any answer that contradicts those facts or introduces major new information that the passage does not suggest. Finally, pick the choice that logically connects the given details—such as locations, trends, and quantities—without going beyond what the passage supports.
Hints
Focus on what changed and what did not
Underline the information about what increased, what decreased, and what stayed the same. Ask yourself: which answer choice matches all of those trends?
Use the location of the new stations
The passage specifies that the new stations are next to major bus and train stops. How might that affect the type and length of trips people take?
Watch for direct contradictions
Look for any choice that says something opposite to the passage (for example, about trip length or membership). Those can be eliminated quickly.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the key facts from the passage
Pull out the important information:
- New bike-share stations were installed adjacent to major bus and train stops.
- After that, the average trip distance decreased.
- The total number of trips per day rose sharply.
- Customer surveys showed no significant change in the number of active members.
Any correct inference must be consistent with all of these facts.
Translate each fact into what it suggests
Think about what these facts imply:
- Stations by bus/train stops suggest a focus on connecting to public transit (for example, from home to a train station).
- Average trip distance decreased suggests that trips became shorter overall, not longer.
- More trips per day with the same number of members suggests that the same people are taking more trips, not that many new people joined.
Keep these implications in mind as you test each answer choice.
Eliminate choices that directly conflict with the data
Check each wrong option against the stated facts:
- Choice A talks about fewer bikes available, but the passage never mentions the number of bikes, just the number of trips and trip length. This is an unsupported guess.
- Choice B says members chose longer recreational routes, but we are told the average trip distance decreased, which is the opposite of “longer.”
- Choice C says membership doubled, but the surveys showed no significant change in the number of active members.
All three of these contradict or go beyond the passage in some way, so they cannot be correct.
Choose the option that fits all the trends
The remaining choice says that more trips were short connections to public transit. This fits the facts:
- New stations are next to bus and train stops, which would encourage short rides to and from those stops.
- These are short trips, which would make the average trip distance go down.
- If existing members start making more of these quick connector trips, the total trips per day go up without changing the number of members.
Therefore, the best-supported inference is: More trips were short connections to public transit.